Virginia State Police say that a series of crashes began when a station wagon rear-ended a car that had stopped due to heavy traffic.

A motorcyclist then rear-ended the station wagon, sending the bike in one direction and the rider in the other. The motorcyclist was hit by a northbound tractor-trailer, while the stray motorcycle caused a three-car crash, also in the northbound lanes.

Police say the motorcyclist was the only person injured. He was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the station wagon, Sandra T. Wilson, 47, of Ruther Glen, Va., was charged with following too closely, police say.

The highway in Stafford County reopened at 7 a.m. after a medical helicopter landed at the scene.